1,2-Migration of Hydrogen during the Biosynthesis of Tropic Acid from

Jul 9, 1984 - Tropic Acid from Phenylalanine. Edward Leete. Natural Products Laboratory'. Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota. Minneapoli...
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J . Am. Chem. Soc. 1984, 106, 7271-7212

does not. However, since a cis arrangement has also been found in benzoquinone deviates, e.g., duroquinone,21this argument is to be taken with caution. In both isomers the carboxyl group adopts the somewhat unusual anti conformation which is stabilized by the intramolecular hydrogen bond. While the room-temperature X-ray data are best explained by a disordered model, they provide no information as to whether the disorder is static or dynamic. However, taken in conjunction with the low-temperature results, they suggest that a protontransfer process may take place in the solid state. As pointed out” in the similar case of naphthazarin, the problem of whether crystal sites are occupied exclusively by molecules with structures l a and l b is open to question, as is the mechanism of proton exchange. Further studies, especially by low-temperature solid-state N M R techniques, should provide answers to these problems. Acknowledgment. This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health under Grant GM-16966. Registry No. la, 518-75-2; lb, 92720-00-8.

Supplementary Material Available: Table with details of data collection and refinement, final positional and thermal parameters at 290 and 147 K, and lists of observed and calculated structure factors at the two temperatures (22 pages). Ordering information is given on any current masthead page.

Table I. Activities of the Alkaloids, and Their Degradation Products, Derived from [ l-14C,3-3H]Phenylalanine (0.5 m M ) Fed to 3-Month Old Datura innoxia Plants for 10 Davs activity,“ dpm/mM comDound

’H

1 4 c

4.23 x 107 7.6 x 104

’H/I4C

5.26 X lo8 9.0 x 105

[ 1-’4C,3-3H]phenylalanine scopolamine HCI (I4C inc,b 0.18%) 7.1 x 104 5.2 x 105 tropic acid